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Just Stand There and Wait

by Kitty Felde

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gathered up all the Chairmen of the various Committees that are dealing with global warming legislation today. They all stood in a line, before a blue screen announcing they’d be cleaning up the air and adding jobs, etc. Everyone got the chance to say about one minute of content.

And then what?

You’re supposed to just stand there for the picture.

California Democrat Henry Waxman, who heads the House Energy and Commerce Committee, gave his short speech. And then did what every reporter in the Rayburn Room was doing. He checked his Blackberry. While one of his fellow Chairmen was speaking.

There are rules of etiquette about checking email during dinner parties. I wonder if there’s one about doing it during press conferences?